So I just got in my first real live 3.5" Toshiba drive for data recovery. Model is MD04ACA400 which doesn't appear to be supported in PC-3000 even in the latest version. I'm thinking it's either bad heads or G-list damage from the way it's acting, but hard to really know for sure at this point.

Anyone worked on these much yet? I'm assuming that the part number is the place to look for matching parts like the read/write heads and they seem to be available. Even the PCB is quite foreign. No IC602 to speak of, but four similar looking ones labeled IC9-IC12. Anyone know which one(s) contain the configuration pages?

Any help is appreciated, this job is a rush so any input that can cut down my R&D will be a big help.

Unfortunately I was only able to get 70% of the data before a bad sector crashed it out and now I can't even get it to clear the G-list again....Grrrr!!! I may be at the mercy of Ace Labs to come out with an update to support this model so I can build a software translator...

The order of the 4 flash memories in the MCU's address space, from low to high, appears to be IC12, IC11, IC9, IC10.

It might sound far fetched, but I wonder if the three LE25U81AQE chips might contain those firmware modules that would normally be written to the SA. If so, then that's where you might find the G-list.

I'm pretty sure the G-list is on the platters by the way it's clicking on startup. Was able to clear the G-list at first and get sector access (could hear it grinding away clearing it). But, now it won't do it again.

Did you check the TVS diodes? One or both will probably be shorted. This will tell us whether the damage was done via the +5V or +12V input or both.

As for the mystery component, it appears to have 4 pins, one of which is switched by the adjacent transistor (?). I'm guessing that the component is a power switch. It would help if you could identify the 3 pins with the heavier traces - Ground, +5V or +12V, Vout?

The part which I thought was a 5V TVS diode (marking "72") appears to be an ordinary 20V, 1A Schottky barrier diode. Therefore, it provides no overvoltage protection. The "XB" part appears to be a 15V, 1W zener diode, not a TVS diode.

The "small black square" looks like a power switch or maybe an LDO regulator. Its "control" pin is most likely an Enable input. This pin is driven by the digital transistor, which in turn would be switched by digital logic, possibly the MCU.

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